People’s eyes are bleeding after they take synthetic ‘weed’ called spice, Illinois officials say

This Feb. 15, 2010, photo shows a package of K2 or synthetic marijuana, which contains herbs and spices sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC. Some people in Illinois have bled out of their eyes and ears after taking the drug, state officials warn. Kelley McCallAP

This Feb. 15, 2010, photo shows a package of K2 or synthetic marijuana, which contains herbs and spices sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC. Some people in Illinois have bled out of their eyes and ears after taking the drug, state officials warn. Kelley McCallAP

The risk that comes with taking spice is compounded by the fact that it is “not one drug, but hundreds of different chemicals manufactured and sold,” the Illinois Department of Public health wrote.

“These chemicals are called cannabinoids because they act on the same brain cell receptors as the main active ingredient in marijuana,” the department’s press release read. “Synthetic cannabinoid products are unsafe. It is difficult to know what’s in them or what your reaction to them will be.”

You are urged to call 911 if you take a form of spice and experience adverse reactions, officials say.

The chemicals that make a user “high” are usually sprayed onto dried and shredded plant material. Side effects include hallucinations, psychosis, dizziness, stroke, seizures, kidney failure, heart attack and death, the CDC wrote.

But bleeding isn’t on that list. So why are people in Illinois losing excess blood after smoking some spice?

Those who took the drug have reported bleeding an unusual amount from their cuts, while others have lost blood through eyes and ears. The Chicago Tribune reports that people who had the unsavory side effects bought the spice either through street dealers or in a convenience store.

There are no known deaths from the latest batch of spice in Illinois, Leikin told NBC Chicago.

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